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TH� BOSTON
4vi w:
TIMES"
Write the vision and make it plain upon tables.
i
HABAKKUK2 2
VOL. XLII, NO. 37
THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1987
21 SIVAN 5747
fWENTY-FIVE CENTS
Congress Kills
Saudi Arms Deal
By Susan Bloch
WASHINGTON � The
Reagan Administration this
week withdrew a proposed $360
million arms sale to Saudi
Arabia in the face of
overwhelming congressional
opposition. At issue was the sale
of sophisticated Maverick air-
to-ground missiles. This
followed on the heels of an
administration decision, three
weeks ago, to delay plans to sell
the Saudis up to $500 million
worth of F-15 fighter planes.
The American Jewish
community had voiced its
unhappiness with the sale and
the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee (AIPAC,)
the Israel lobby, made its
opposition clear at its annual
conference. But the impetus for
disapproval came from a
Congress disturbed by Saudi
Arabia's lack of action when the
Stark was attacked in the
Persian Gulf last month.
Some congressmen who
normally could be counted on to
support the administration
request were angered that the
Saudi Arabian airforce was not
ordered to chase the Iraqi plane
which attacked the American
frigate, according to sources in
Washington. They were joined
in opposition by congressmen
who traditionaly decry arms
sales to the Saudis because of
their backing of the PLO and
their continued hostile attitude
toward Israel.
Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Cal,) said
that "the Saudis have yet to
make good on the bargain they
entered into with the United
States when we sold them
AWACs reconnaissance planes
- to help further the Middle East
peace process. But even if there
had been no condition, we are
entitled to expect a decent level
of behavior from them in
allowing Israel to live in freedon
and security, and the halting of
mischief-making in helping the
PLO."
Until the Saudis live up to
"this basic minumum," he said,
"there should be no arms sales to
them or to any other so-called
moderate Arab states which
pursue the same course."
Announcement of the
administration's action came
shortly before the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee
was scheduled to vote on a
resolution blocking the sale. The
resolution, sponsored by Sens.
Peaceniks Face Jail
For Meeting With PLO
By Susan Bloch
JERUSALEM - About 20
Israelis face criminal charges for
their recent trip to Hungary,
where they met with leaders of
the Palestine Liberation
Organization. One of the
delegation, Charlie Biton, a
member of Knesset, who
represents the Communist
Party, is currently the subject of
intense parliamentary maneuv-
ering to deprive him of
immunity, thus making him
eligible for prosecution as well.
The law they are accused of
violating is an amendment to the
Prevention of Terrorism
Ordinance, whose intent is to
stop support for any terrorist
organization. Number one on
the list of terrorist groups is the
PLO.
The amendment was passed
last year in a peculiar
parliamentary trade-off. After
the 1984 election of Meir
Kahane to the Knesset,
parliament members sought to
curb the effects of his rhetoric,
by passing an anti-racism law.
Kahane is an advocate of the
expulsion of all Arabs from
Israel and the occupied
territories. In exchange for a
vote on the racism law, Labor
party members, who lean to the
liberal side, agreed to support
this amendment.
Earlier this year, 21 Israelis
travelled to Romania, where
they met with middle-level
officials of the PLO. Upon their
return, right-wing Knesset
members sought to enforce the
amendment, urging arrest and
prosecution. The government, in
an attempt to defuse the issue,
tried only four of the
participants and held the trial in
a magistrate's court in the small
town of Ramie.
The trial, which opened in
March, attracted wide_ press
coverage as well as demonstra-
tions supporting and denoun-
cing the defendants. It has been
recessed until this week. If found
guilty, the defendants could be
sentenced to up to three years in
jail. Their defense is being
conducted by the Israel Civil
Rights Association, a group
similar to the American Civil
Liberties Union.
They maintain that those who
met with the PLO did so, not in
the interests of advancing
terrorism, but rather in the
pursuit of peace, by deterring
terrorism.
The 22 who returned from
Hungary this week, will be
subject to the same prosecution
and, most likely, will proceed
with the same defense.
It appears that members of the
Knesset, anxious to enforce the
See Peaceniks page 11
Ecumenism Has Problems At
National Presbyterian Gathering
By Susan Bloch
BOSTON -Local Presbyterian
leaders travelled to Biloxi, Miss,
last week for the annual meeting
of the country's largest
Presbyterian denomination and
a discussion of a position paper
on Christian-Jewish relations.
They were apprised of its
content, but went with no
instruction on a position,
according to Garland Mc-
Aninch, Clerk of the Boston area
Presbytery.
The document, which deals
with the Church's position on
the State of Israel and whether
Jews are candidates for
conversion, has run into
opposition at the annual
meeting, which ends this week.
Titled "A Theological
Understanding of the Relation-
ship Between Christians and
Jews," the paper was drafted by
a ten member committee and
presented to the General
Assembly. After two days of
discussion, a subcommittee of
four people was appointed to
revise the controversial portions.
The Presbyterian Church'
(U.S.A.) is the fifth largest
Protestant denomination in the
United States with 3.1 million
members. They are following in
the footsteps of other Christian
efforts in attempting to improve
ecumenical relations.
The Assembly approved, with
no opposition, a paper on
Christian-Moslem relations. It
did not deal with theological
issues, but called for greater
understanding and an end to
discrimination and stereotyping,
according to a report in The New
York Times. The Presbyterians
have been sending missionaries
to the Middle East for 150 years.
The outgoing leader of the
denomination is the Rev.
Benjamin Weir, who was held
hostage for 16 months in
Lebanon. He said that he
would find it "very difficult to
live with the paper," if the
section on the promised land
were included. The document
had a "great possibility of being
misunderstood and misinter-
preted," he said.
In dealing with the section
that suggests that the Jews
already have a covenant with
God, opponents to the paper
said that this was a violation of
the Christian responsibility to
spread the Gospel to all
mankind.
See Problems page 11
Bob Packwood (R-Ore) and
Alan Cranston (D-Cal,) was
signed by 52 senators. This
amounted to 15 short of the two-
thirds majority needed to
override a presidential veto. In
the House, 108 representatives
signed a similar resolution,
sponsored by Rep. Larry Smith
(D-Fla.).
The administration reacted
after it became apparent they
would face stiff opposition. The
administration had one month
from the time it informed
Congress of the sale to complete
the deal unless the Congress
See Congress page 11
Dershowitz Protests
Honor To
German President
CAMBRIDGE- Harvard
law professor Alan Dersho-
witz organized a small
informational picket outside
the Harvard graduation last
week to protest the honoring
of West German president
Richard von Weizsacker.
Dershowitz told The
Boston Jewish Times that he
made a deliberate decision to
restrict the protest to
leafleting. It was important'
that another side of the story
be told.
Von Weizsacker was the main'
commencement speaker.
The German president has
"devoted his life to
vindicating the family name,"
Dershowitz said. Von
Weizsacker's father served as
Hitler's top diplomat from
1938 to 1943. At Nuremburg,
he was found guilty of war
crimes, specifically the
deportation of thousands of
French and other Jews to
Auschwitz. He was sentenced
to five years in prison.
Although he spoke
eloquently about German
responsibility for the
Holocast at the time of
Bitburg, on his state visit to
Israel and when Israeli
president Chaim Herzog
visited Germany, von
Weiszacker has never
repudiated his father's
actions.
Dershowitz has no problem
with the reciprocal visits of
the Israeli and German
presidents. "The State of
Israel is a government," he
See Dershowitz page 11

User has an obligation to determine copyright or other use restrictions prior to publication or distribution. Please contact the archives at reference@ajhsboston.org or 617-226-1245 for more information.

TH� BOSTON
4vi w:
TIMES"
Write the vision and make it plain upon tables.
i
HABAKKUK2 2
VOL. XLII, NO. 37
THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1987
21 SIVAN 5747
fWENTY-FIVE CENTS
Congress Kills
Saudi Arms Deal
By Susan Bloch
WASHINGTON � The
Reagan Administration this
week withdrew a proposed $360
million arms sale to Saudi
Arabia in the face of
overwhelming congressional
opposition. At issue was the sale
of sophisticated Maverick air-
to-ground missiles. This
followed on the heels of an
administration decision, three
weeks ago, to delay plans to sell
the Saudis up to $500 million
worth of F-15 fighter planes.
The American Jewish
community had voiced its
unhappiness with the sale and
the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee (AIPAC,)
the Israel lobby, made its
opposition clear at its annual
conference. But the impetus for
disapproval came from a
Congress disturbed by Saudi
Arabia's lack of action when the
Stark was attacked in the
Persian Gulf last month.
Some congressmen who
normally could be counted on to
support the administration
request were angered that the
Saudi Arabian airforce was not
ordered to chase the Iraqi plane
which attacked the American
frigate, according to sources in
Washington. They were joined
in opposition by congressmen
who traditionaly decry arms
sales to the Saudis because of
their backing of the PLO and
their continued hostile attitude
toward Israel.
Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Cal,) said
that "the Saudis have yet to
make good on the bargain they
entered into with the United
States when we sold them
AWACs reconnaissance planes
- to help further the Middle East
peace process. But even if there
had been no condition, we are
entitled to expect a decent level
of behavior from them in
allowing Israel to live in freedon
and security, and the halting of
mischief-making in helping the
PLO."
Until the Saudis live up to
"this basic minumum," he said,
"there should be no arms sales to
them or to any other so-called
moderate Arab states which
pursue the same course."
Announcement of the
administration's action came
shortly before the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee
was scheduled to vote on a
resolution blocking the sale. The
resolution, sponsored by Sens.
Peaceniks Face Jail
For Meeting With PLO
By Susan Bloch
JERUSALEM - About 20
Israelis face criminal charges for
their recent trip to Hungary,
where they met with leaders of
the Palestine Liberation
Organization. One of the
delegation, Charlie Biton, a
member of Knesset, who
represents the Communist
Party, is currently the subject of
intense parliamentary maneuv-
ering to deprive him of
immunity, thus making him
eligible for prosecution as well.
The law they are accused of
violating is an amendment to the
Prevention of Terrorism
Ordinance, whose intent is to
stop support for any terrorist
organization. Number one on
the list of terrorist groups is the
PLO.
The amendment was passed
last year in a peculiar
parliamentary trade-off. After
the 1984 election of Meir
Kahane to the Knesset,
parliament members sought to
curb the effects of his rhetoric,
by passing an anti-racism law.
Kahane is an advocate of the
expulsion of all Arabs from
Israel and the occupied
territories. In exchange for a
vote on the racism law, Labor
party members, who lean to the
liberal side, agreed to support
this amendment.
Earlier this year, 21 Israelis
travelled to Romania, where
they met with middle-level
officials of the PLO. Upon their
return, right-wing Knesset
members sought to enforce the
amendment, urging arrest and
prosecution. The government, in
an attempt to defuse the issue,
tried only four of the
participants and held the trial in
a magistrate's court in the small
town of Ramie.
The trial, which opened in
March, attracted wide_ press
coverage as well as demonstra-
tions supporting and denoun-
cing the defendants. It has been
recessed until this week. If found
guilty, the defendants could be
sentenced to up to three years in
jail. Their defense is being
conducted by the Israel Civil
Rights Association, a group
similar to the American Civil
Liberties Union.
They maintain that those who
met with the PLO did so, not in
the interests of advancing
terrorism, but rather in the
pursuit of peace, by deterring
terrorism.
The 22 who returned from
Hungary this week, will be
subject to the same prosecution
and, most likely, will proceed
with the same defense.
It appears that members of the
Knesset, anxious to enforce the
See Peaceniks page 11
Ecumenism Has Problems At
National Presbyterian Gathering
By Susan Bloch
BOSTON -Local Presbyterian
leaders travelled to Biloxi, Miss,
last week for the annual meeting
of the country's largest
Presbyterian denomination and
a discussion of a position paper
on Christian-Jewish relations.
They were apprised of its
content, but went with no
instruction on a position,
according to Garland Mc-
Aninch, Clerk of the Boston area
Presbytery.
The document, which deals
with the Church's position on
the State of Israel and whether
Jews are candidates for
conversion, has run into
opposition at the annual
meeting, which ends this week.
Titled "A Theological
Understanding of the Relation-
ship Between Christians and
Jews," the paper was drafted by
a ten member committee and
presented to the General
Assembly. After two days of
discussion, a subcommittee of
four people was appointed to
revise the controversial portions.
The Presbyterian Church'
(U.S.A.) is the fifth largest
Protestant denomination in the
United States with 3.1 million
members. They are following in
the footsteps of other Christian
efforts in attempting to improve
ecumenical relations.
The Assembly approved, with
no opposition, a paper on
Christian-Moslem relations. It
did not deal with theological
issues, but called for greater
understanding and an end to
discrimination and stereotyping,
according to a report in The New
York Times. The Presbyterians
have been sending missionaries
to the Middle East for 150 years.
The outgoing leader of the
denomination is the Rev.
Benjamin Weir, who was held
hostage for 16 months in
Lebanon. He said that he
would find it "very difficult to
live with the paper," if the
section on the promised land
were included. The document
had a "great possibility of being
misunderstood and misinter-
preted," he said.
In dealing with the section
that suggests that the Jews
already have a covenant with
God, opponents to the paper
said that this was a violation of
the Christian responsibility to
spread the Gospel to all
mankind.
See Problems page 11
Bob Packwood (R-Ore) and
Alan Cranston (D-Cal,) was
signed by 52 senators. This
amounted to 15 short of the two-
thirds majority needed to
override a presidential veto. In
the House, 108 representatives
signed a similar resolution,
sponsored by Rep. Larry Smith
(D-Fla.).
The administration reacted
after it became apparent they
would face stiff opposition. The
administration had one month
from the time it informed
Congress of the sale to complete
the deal unless the Congress
See Congress page 11
Dershowitz Protests
Honor To
German President
CAMBRIDGE- Harvard
law professor Alan Dersho-
witz organized a small
informational picket outside
the Harvard graduation last
week to protest the honoring
of West German president
Richard von Weizsacker.
Dershowitz told The
Boston Jewish Times that he
made a deliberate decision to
restrict the protest to
leafleting. It was important'
that another side of the story
be told.
Von Weizsacker was the main'
commencement speaker.
The German president has
"devoted his life to
vindicating the family name,"
Dershowitz said. Von
Weizsacker's father served as
Hitler's top diplomat from
1938 to 1943. At Nuremburg,
he was found guilty of war
crimes, specifically the
deportation of thousands of
French and other Jews to
Auschwitz. He was sentenced
to five years in prison.
Although he spoke
eloquently about German
responsibility for the
Holocast at the time of
Bitburg, on his state visit to
Israel and when Israeli
president Chaim Herzog
visited Germany, von
Weiszacker has never
repudiated his father's
actions.
Dershowitz has no problem
with the reciprocal visits of
the Israeli and German
presidents. "The State of
Israel is a government," he
See Dershowitz page 11